How to Avoid Being Stalked Through Smartphones?

The process for avoid being stalked through smartphones is straightforward once you know where to find the right controls. The steps below explain what to do and what to check.

Only use positioning when needed

GPS-based location services, mobile data (3G / 4G LTE) and Wi-Fi provide many convenience for smartphone users, such as finding a way to go on Google Maps, find a dining store on Foursquare, attaching Facebook location. However, the risk of smartphone tracking every step of users's way is also potential.

For iPhones and iOS devices in general, users need to check the positioning settings by going to Settings / General / Restrictions . In this section, users enter the security code to turn on the limited feature (Restrictions), then find the Location Services section . In this section, you can turn off the location service or turn it on again.

Next, users needs to observe in the list of applications that are using positioning. For ordinary users, just important applications like Google Maps , Here Maps , taxi apps, Foursquare . need to locate. Games and applications are not needed if they are still licensed, you need to change their options accordingly. There are three levels that you can choose for each application: Always (always), While Using (only when running the app) or Never (do not use positioning).

On Android, although companies use different interfaces, but users can find the Settings Section, select Privacy and Safety Location , item Location . Here, users are also given the option to turn off location services, choosing how to locate or grant location access to applications running in the background.

Do not root or jailbreak the device

Root the Android device or jaibreak iPhone brings strange experiences but comes with dozens of risks. The device after being rooted or jailbroken is both very unstable and unsafe, easily sniffed by unauthorized people to install the tracking application.

However, for proficient users, they can jailbreak or root the device to install fake location mock applications, helping owners "pretend" as if they were here but in fact they are somewhere else.

Be careful with strange applications

If the device has rooted or jailbroken and the person doing it is your relative or friend. be careful. In most cases, the help of others to root or jailbreak the device is to install a harmless utility, but in some special cases, the smartphone will be installed tracking software.

At that time, users need to review all installed applications and remove suspicious names. In fact, some sophisticated tracking applications often hide in very harmless names and icons.

Control application permissions when installing

When installing an application, users are often asked to authorize software to use the camera, recording microphone, location. and login information, account. Your job is "look" carefully. Before installing any application, to avoid granting unreasonable rights, such as the right to access the microphone, camera, for a basic game.

Never share your personal account

Many users are very careless in managing their accounts on smartphones and tablets. This is a difficult fact to change. In Vietnam, many users still share Apple ID with a phone shop. Many female users "innocently" provide Apple ID, iCloud account for lovers and do not expect to be tracked through Find My iPhone feature.

Not only on iPhone, Android users should not be comfortable with their account. Gmail is the most precious thing on Android devices because it stores contacts, emails, notes. and is the key to logging into photo hosting services. If other people know your Gmail and password, they can also determine where you are if you previously turned on the device search feature when lost.

In addition to keeping personal accounts secure, users need to limit the use of photo stream features to other devices, such as an iPhone that automatically sends photos taken to an iPad photo gallery. An Android smartphone syncs photos to Google Photos And someone knows the login password for this service. This is a utility and also a double-edged sword.

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